The regular season Most Valuable Player award is a two-man race, according to Bovada’s NBA betting odds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the race as a -350 favorite, while Nikola Jokic stands as his runner-up at +200. These two stars have had incredible performances throughout this season, leading to an escalating discussion about their potential MVP award. Although we’re still months away from regular season awards being announced, let’s take a deeper look at what these two superstars are doing this season.
View the latest NBA odds at Bovada
Nikola Jokic: (+200 odds)
The three-time NBA MVP is having arguably his most impressive season of his career yet. The Joker is making history by currently averaging 29.9 points per game, 13.1 rebounds, and 10.1 assists, totaling a historic number of 53.1 (PRA). Not since Wilt Chamberlain or Elgin Baylor has any player achieved anything above 50 in terms of points per game along with assists and rebounds within a season.
Jokic also does this while shooting the ball at a league-high rate at an impressive 56.7% from the field. You can make a strong case that there isn’t another team that relies on one player as much as Denver relies on the Joker. He’s the ultimate game manager while also leading his team in every major offensive category.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: (-350 odds)
The young, talented superstar in Oklahoma City is considered a slight favorite in terms of winning the most valuable player for numerous reasons. One Shai has energized the Thunder’s transformation, which propelled them from rebuilding status into championship contention in a matter of just a few seasons. Overall he’s setting all-time best numbers in each category, including scoring and playmaking, while leading the league in scoring with an average of 32.0 PPG and putting up 5.3 REB’S and 6.1 AST to go along with it.
Through his young age of 26, Shai has put OKC on his back, leading the Thunder to a league-best record of 37-8. With all of that being said, the search for a fresh candidate for the MVP makes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander perfectly suited for this year’s award. Due to the Denver Nuggets having a record of 28-17 and currently being the #4 seed in the west while the Thunder sit at the top as the #1 seed.
The Verdict: Who is set to win it, and can anyone else contend?
One thing that the NBA has made clear over the years is the league wants new, meaning although the Joker is having a statistical season of the ages, he’s dominated the league over the last 4 seasons, winning MVP’s in 3 of the last 4 years and being the runner-up in the 2022-2023 season.
The fact that the Joker has been able to put up these numbers thus far and he’s still an underdog, it’s going to be very hard seeing anyone pass up Shai, especially if Shai continues to lead the league in not only scoring but also leading the Thunder to a #1 seed, which will be key.
This is clearly a two-man race; unless either the Joker or Shai gets hurt, we should be in for an interesting 2nd half of the season coming up! Remember to continue keeping up with the MVP live odds and other season awards and props on Bovada.lv.
*Any tips, predictions, or strategies published are entirely the opinion of the author, and are not guaranteed to be correct or result in financial gain. The Author is not an employee of Bovada.
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